Archive for March, 2017

Partner-Barangay Representatives of ROOF during the workshop for their activity and project planning for women in their respective communities.

Through the years of ZABIDA working with its communities, the Women from different sectors have shown their dedication and participation towards peace and development.

On March 9, 2017, a workshop on the “Role of Women in Peace-Building and Security Reform” took place and brought together about 250 participants. This was composed of 95% women and 5% men. This initiative was in partnership with Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG)

Joining them is its partner Barangay Local Government Units and Sector Representatives for the Youth. With the support of Institute for Autonomy and Governance and ProPoltICS Project, the participants were enlightened by the talk on “Mindanao Women and the Peace Process: A Critical Analysis (Strengths and gaps on the engagement of women in peace and security) given by Ms. Ma. Lourdes Tiquia, Founder/CEO of PUBLICUS Asia, Inc. Thereafter, Dr. Grace J. Rebollos, ZABIDA Board of Director, shared on “Peace Tables as a mechanism for women participation in Peace and Security”. (Deorenzie Frances Carreon/ZABIDA)

Participants and Representatives of sectoral groups including the Local Government Unit Sector, Youth Sector, Women Sector, Indigenous People, Religious Sector, Security Sector, and Education Sector were present in the 7th Annual Partnership Forum

It has been a decade since 2007, that ZABIDA has been embodying its goal to provide inter-partner program service interventions in collaboration with stakeholders to increase human security for the marginalized sectors in Zamboanga City and Basilan. To make it more meaningful, ZABIDA gathered about 360 representives of partners and project benefciaries in their 7th Annual Partnership Forum conducted at Royce Convention, Grand Astoria Hotel. Held on March 23, the joint showcase of products by project partners and benefciaries and a photo exhibit was witnessed by the partners who joined the forum.

Moreover, the event was flled with a unifed energy as selected partner representatives from the Women Sector, the Local Government Unit Sector, the Youth Sector, the Children and the IDPs overwhelming shared their success stories with ZABIDA.

Said Datu Nasir Ismula of Simariki Island Sama Banguingui Association (SISBA), “Because of ZABIDA, dumami yung partners namin, more assistance given to us, school, sa tubig, engines para sa bangkas, at livelihood assistance for agar-agar, among others…” SISBA is but one of partner-organizations and benefciaries of ZABIDA to which they have provided a total of 85 houses after the conﬂict in Zamboanga’s coastal area of Simariki in September 2013. (Deorenzie Frances Carreon/ZABIDA)

With its continuous efforts in collaborative and participative governance, ROOF conducted an Impact Assessment on Barangay Performance following the DILG Impact Assessment tool last March 21 to March 22 of this year at LM Hotel, Tetuan, Zamboanga City.

A total of 201 barangay officials and sector leaders participated coming from 19 partner-barangays. “The main purpose of the Impact Assessment is to measure the result of the capacity-building of the BLGUs and sectoral groups in formulating gender-sensitive policies and development plans”, emphasized by the ROOF Program Coordinator, Mr. Khamar I. Amsain, as the core of the Training Rationale. Mr. Amsain added, “we hope we can do this with the BLGUs of each barangays and the sectors present so thatwe can come up with complete and exact ratings and remarks based on the performance of each barangays. (Deorenzie Frances Carreon)

With the observable weather changes and frequent natural disasters happening in the country and, Zamboanga City having its coastal barangays, ZABIDA is taking its initiative to proactively conduct environmental programs. One of which is a Participatory Coastal Resource Activity in Simariki.

Simariki is an Island that is part of Barangay Talon – Talon. It is inhabited by Sama Banguingui Tribe led by Simariki Island Sama Banguingui Association(SISBA). The people in the area get their source of living from the bounties of the sea through either fishing or seaweed planting.

During the Zamboanga Siege in 2013, the people in Simariki were forced to leave the place because of the chaos. Now, that the situation is restored to normal, SISBA together with the aid coming from ZABIDA and Verde Zamboanga Alliance represented by Ms. Cellyn Aron Verallo ADZU Faculty staff and the activity’s lead researcher, assisted the community to assess their own socio – demographic as well as the biophysical resources of the area so that they will be able to determine the status of their resources.

Through the research using Participatory Coastal Resource Assessment (PCRA) of the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources using the communities own expertise and the help requested from the Zamboanga City State Marine Sciences and Technology technical assistance for incoming assessments. The
Barangay Local Government Unit of Talon-Talon also participates in the training activity. The assessments were scheduled on February 18, March 4 and 5, 2017. (Karel B. Mellanes/ZABIDA-Verde)